As the Sarasota County Commission plans to sit down early this fall to tackle a raging housing crisis, it will do so armed with plenty of feedback on what works, some of it from affordable housing developers that are having an impact in Manatee County.
First and foremost, the commission will have in hand a recently released report produced by the Florida Housing Coalition, commissioned by four prominent local foundations. Dubbed the Sarasota Housing Action Plan, it outlines the scale and scope of a housing emergency that is pricing out seniors as well as teachers, nurses, and restaurant workers, and forcing many families with school-aged children to move, couch surf or sleep in cars.
It also shows how far Sarasota County is behind, estimating that 15,000 new affordable housing units must be built in the next decade to meet current and future needs.
What’s being done on affordable housing in Sarasota County?
Already, Sarasota County is helping to bring online about 950 new affordable housing units thanks largely to a one-time influx of $65 million in federal pandemic and storm-related relief funds…